Behind Every Fairtrade Mark: The Powerful Impact Your Holiday Purchases Can Make

There’s something about December that nudges us to look outward — to gather, to give, to remember that our choices ripple far beyond the shopping cart. And this year, that ripple is feeling more urgent. Climate change is squeezing farmers. Global markets are shifting. And somewhere between our holiday playlists and gift wrapping, the question quietly rises – who made the things we’re giving?

Fairtrade Africa answered that question in a recent conversation at the launch of their Be Fair Right Now campaign that pulled back the curtain on what it actually means to buy better and why the smallest, most everyday purchases can change lives in ways we rarely imagine.

The surprising gap in what we think we know

When Fairtrade Africa asked consumers how familiar they were with the movement, most people said they were “somewhat aware.” But when asked why they don’t choose Fairtrade products, over 75% blamed one thing: lack of information.

In other words, people care — deeply — but they don’t know where to start. So let’s start here.

Real farmers, real families

In the slopes of Mount Kenya, the Mutira Coffee Cooperative, 7,500 smallholder farmers strong, is rewriting Kenya’s coffee story. Martin, their manager, shared how they’ve gone from traditional practices to pioneering value addition, earning their position as one of Kenya’s most certified cooperatives.

Last year alone their local coffee consumption program helped them earn over 10 million KES in premiums through Fairtrade certification, enough to purchase new machines to meet rising Kenyan demand. Yes – drinking local coffee has literally transformed their farmers’ livelihoods.

On the other side of Mount Kenya, the Gatunguru Tea Factory is proving that “small scale” doesn’t mean small impact. With over 10,000 micro-plot farmers — many with less than half an acre — they’re sustaining Kenya’s water towers, protecting riverbanks, diversifying into avocado farming, empowering youth, and even training women into leadership roles. Their next frontier? Fairtrade-certified honey.

You read that right! Soon you’ll be drizzling Fairtrade honey from the Aberdares onto your Christmas scones.

Brands that walk the talk

Kericho Gold was among the earliest adopters of Fairtrade certification in Kenya. Today, the brand is exporting to Europe, the Middle East, and Australia, driven by consumers who want products that uphold fairness from farm to shelf.

Fairtrade certification hasn’t just boosted their reputation, it has opened doors across the globe. As Mary from Kericho Gold put it, “Consumers now come to us saying we want this because we know what you stand for.”

What your purchase actually does

Here’s where the story becomes beautifully simple.

Every Fairtrade product carries something called a premium — a small, additional sum that goes directly back to farmers. This premium has funded:

Early childhood education for farming communities, scholarships, school fees, and college bursaries, massive environmental conservation efforts, youth employment programs, women’s leadership training, mental health, wellness, and fair working conditions, modern beehives built by local youth, and the largest coffee nursery among Kenya’s cooperatives. This is just some of what Fairtrade certification can do for local producers.

It’s rewriting the story of men and women, many of whom have farmed for generations,  finally getting a fair shot.

What does this mean for Christmas? 

It means your festive gifting can do more than delight a loved one. It can build classrooms. It can protect forests. It can help a young woman rise to her first leadership position. It can give a coffee-growing grandmother the confidence that her work matters beyond her hills.

So when you’re putting together those gift hampers, Secret Santa bags, or New Year breakfast spreads, here are a few thoughtful swaps:

Swap 1: Regular Coffee → Fairtrade Kenyan Coffee from Dormans

A gift that warms hands and uplifts thousands of smallholder families.

Swap 2: Tea Bags → Kericho Gold Fairtrade Tea

A simple box carries decades of impact — and yes, it tastes better when you know who grew it.

Swap 3: Honey → Fairtrade Honey from Aberdare Youth Producers (coming soon)

Imagine gifting the first batch of honey made through forest-friendly beekeeping led by local youth.

Swap 4: Chocolate, Flowers, Spices → Always Look for the Fairtrade Mark

A tiny blue-green icon, a giant behind-the-scenes transformation.

The gift that outlines Christmas

In a season where we often buy things destined to be forgotten by February, choosing Fairtrade is a conscious decision to let your gift keep living. To let it plant trees, educate children, empower women, and dignify the hands that grew it.

As Paul Colditz, Director of Fairtrade Africa described it, the Fairtrade mark isn’t just a symbol.

“It’s a person with a superpower — and the superpower is yours.”

So go on.

Wrap something this Christmas that wraps someone else in possibility.

Read Also: Fairtrade Africa Marks 20 Years With ‘Be Fair Right Now’ Campaign, Rallying Kenyans to Choose Ethical Trade